Video: 4Runner Trailhunter vs. Tacoma Trailhunter COMPARED: Which One Would (or Should) You Choose?

Video: 4Runner Trailhunter vs. Tacoma Trailhunter COMPARED: Which One Would (or Should) You Choose?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P12X9ebkvE

 

Am I the only one who thinks the new 4Runner looks like sh*t but the new Tacoma looks fantastic?

 

The 4runner is always the better choice with only 1 exception. If you absolutely need an open bed.

 

True. That's why I chose the 4Runner over the Tacoma. I valued the security of interior space more than a truck bed.

In a few years I may want a truck for hunting and toy hauling. I'd be keeping the 4Runner as an adventure/ wheeling rig.
The new Tacoma looks like an appealing choice since I can no longer get a new Tundra with the trusty 5.7L V8...

 

For those of us with dial-up, what's the movie say?

 

Neither.

The Trailhunter trim is ridiculous.

 

With 9 trims this time around, will be interesting to see how interiors differ.

I like the idea of buying cheaper model and adding the preferred mods myself, but probably still end up paying more than TRD Pro.

 

I thought but was scared to say it out loud.

 

Seems odd that they put the battery for the hybrid on the roof

 

Are the headlights same part between Tacoma and new 4Runner?

Wondering if bumpers could be swapped.

 

They’re the same truck now, and we don’t know 4R prices so the only debate is whether you value rear seat room versus having a bed.

If we’re talking aesthetics, Tacoma’s bed helps it look more functional. The ‘25 4R looks like a cross between a Gen5 that got stung by a bee, and a short-wheelbase Sequoia. The cartoon fenders may put off the traditionalists, but like Tacoma, should appeal an even larger audience of people eager to trade in their “wilderness” and “trail sport” badges.

 

I think the fenders were gloss on one trim vs matt on the other. I would imagine gloss would be inferior for scratches and such. It was just the initial release videos I watched so it's possible I looked at something that's not part of the production vehicle? I do kinda think the fenders add to the "wider" stance when looked from the front.

 

If you need a truck then buy a truck. If not then the SUV makes more sense. I never understand why people buy trucks but never use the bed for anything.
Meanwhile, when is Toyota going to let reviewers drive these new 4Runners? They are supposed to be for sale soon and production of the 5th gen’s has supposedly stopped already.

 

You do not understand 99% of the truck buyers

 

Production was halted, maybe even not even started on the 6th gen.

 

Yea but that's highly modded. This rig does look sweet but I bet a kitted out the new 4Runner TRD Pro in camping/overlanding gear like this would look fantastic too.

 

Ignoring the roof rack and RTT it honestly looks like a mild lift, 35's and a winch/ bumper.
While I wouldn't quite call that highly modded the owner is having overheating problems already.

Overworked 4banger doing its best I suppose...

 

The 6g and this pos gmc terrain share the design language. American studio designed, thus favoring “manly” styling cues.. bulges all over for no reason. Looks like a loud mouth American (‘murica!) traveling aboard doin’ his thang

 

Some fleet web sites say production of 4Runner gas models starts in Jan 2025, and 4Runner hybrids in Feb 2025. The delays are due to Toyota prioritizing parts for the Land Cruiser, which is probably more profitable, as discussed in the other thread. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...us-launch-of-popular-suv-on-shortage-of-parts

 

Those last few 5th gens that rolled off the factory line would be pretty cool to own.

 

Not sure if anybody noticed, but i’ve heard others comment on tacomas that the front strut lower mount was a single shear design, and concerns about it’s strength compared to the current lower mount that isn’t mounted on a cantilevered tube.

In the video it looks like the drivers LCA on the tacoma has a bracket added on that makes it kinda like a double shear arrangement, but still hanging off the front of the control arm. And it appears the passenger side is still single shear. That’s odd, wonder what’s up with that? They only had a clear shot of drivers side on the tacoma, and clear shot of the passenger side of the 4runner (below). But a fuzzy view seemed to show the tacoma the pass side is single shear.

 

They are having issues with the taco shocks already

 

Two reports of shock failures just in that forum.. this guy was just driving down the road…. ROFL Toyota

 

It’s ok. The shock top hat will fail well before that lower bolt fails.

 

2024 Tacoma Front Suspension diagrams from Toyota Repair Manual

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ension-and-wheel-torque-specification.831217/

 

THIS.

Also, as far as the Tacoma at least, the Ranger Raptor is a far better vehicle and value.

 

I think the 4Runner will grow on people once they're seen in the wild, however the more I see the Taco around, the less I like them. They have too many body lines and are oddly boxy.

The 3rd gen Tacoma is much better looking.

 

Wow, your not kidding about that, at all! I just spent a bit of time looking at the threads and videos. This is pretty disheartening because it’s gonna be another huge issue for Toyota.

I found a video from Icon where they managed to shove the shock up through the shock tower.

Based on what they found when they disassembled it, it’s not a problem with the shock or bump-stop hardware, per se. It was a little cast cap that interfaces with the hole in the top hat of the coilover assembly. Once that breaks, the shock is free to pass through the hole in the shock tower.


In this vid however, they put the shock in a dyno to show that the shock has a “bump-stop damping zone” where damping forces sharply spike as the shock approaches its compression limits. The immediate spike in pressure may be what directly caused the retention cap to fail.

Unfortunately, it’s probably fair to say that Toyota’s decision to put bump-stop loads through the coilover assembly is what caused this failure. This is going to be recall material for sure. And Lord help them if this is how the Lexus, Land Cruiser, and Lexus models are designed!!!

But this is what really boggles my mind…Why did Toyota not make the shocktower weldment on the frame itself the ultimate back-stop for bump-stop loads? Bump-stops are supposed to be a last resort, and it should be fair game for the frame to be damaged by exceeding what the bump-stop can handle. Yet this current design almost seems to use the retention cap as a fusible link to protect the frame. Because it seems ALL bump-stop forces (both the damping pressure spike and rubber bump-stop forces) travel through only this retaining cap in order to reach the frame. When the cap breaks, the shock tower weldment apparently plays no part in holding the shock. This means the frame weldment is only responsible for coil forces when a failure occurs. I sincerely hope a fusible link is that’s not what toyota was thinking here with this design.

By the way, Now that i think about it, the noise you can hear in the vid as the shock enters the bump-damping zone is probably what makes people think their shocks are bottoming out. It seems their “shock-assembly as bump-stop” idea, which necessitated this harsh bump-damping zone, also stole some of the usable compression range of the suspension.

Here’s the vid:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gn2Be4jAj_w&t=465s&pp=2AHRA5ACAQ==

 

Land Cruiser 300 has two frame mounted bump stops on each side.

Land Cruiser 300 is what the Tacoma and 4Runner are based on. Obviously Toyota decided to cut some corners.

 

That’s a relief. Hopefully that means they didn’t need to install shocks that have the “hammer” bumpstop damping zone.

If that’s the case, I think it’s really unwise that Toyota decided to make a basic structural component, like bumpstops, essentially an option.

It’s not even a matter of cost savings, since I imagine that engineering and parts for that mess of a suspension costs more than a rubber puck and maybe a pound of mild steel structure.

I can imagine that a recall will force them to redesign things with the suspension, and maybe the easiest solution would be to retrofit some the same type of bumpstops from the other model.

Edit: Nevermind what I just said lol. Just realized you were talking about the LC300 That’s not the same platform/frame as the newly designed Tacomas, the LC250, the upcoming 4runner, and the Lexus variant…is it? If it is, it looks to be the wider version that the sequoia has.

I was more wondering if the LC250 and lexus models have frame mounted bumpstops (since the frames are basically structurally and dimensionally the same as the new Tacoma).